4) Did health-care costs cause the foreclosure crisis? Some Harvard researchers examined the numbers and found that the explanation isn't as far-fetched as you might expect. According to their survey, medical costs were a major contributor to fully 49 percent of foreclosures.

5) Can taxing calories really mitigate the obesity crisis? Some researchers from RAND have looked at the evidence, and they're skeptical.

good to see a link to Edge. Lots of interesting stuff bubbles up there, and John Bronkman's World Question Center projects and annual books are a source of great insight on a regular basis ( http://www.edge.org/questioncenter.html )